Critical Reasoning

Jim: A new company specializing in home exercise equipment is charging up to $2,500 for fancy treadmills featuring built-in entertainment systems and heart monitors. The marketing materials for these expensive machines claim that, with regular use, they can help people lose weight, eliminate stress and reduce the risk of heart disease. However, there is no indication that running on even the most advanced treadmill offers any health benefits that running on a track does not. Save your money. If you want to become more fit, go jogging outside.

Which of the following, if true, most calls into question Jim's argument?

A. Most people are more inclined to exercise on a state-of-the-art treadmill because it is more convenient and enjoyable than running outside.
B. Running on a treadmill can be less beneficial than running outside, which requires the use of a broader range of muscles to maintain pace and balance.
C. To most people who would be interested in buying a treadmill for their homes, $2,500 is not a major expense.
D. Jim was a member of a panel that conducted extensive evaluations of all of the leading treadmills currently on the market.
E. Studies show that devices that use electrical currents to simulate exertion are considerably less effective than traditional forms of exercise, such as push-ups and weightlifting, in promoting the development of muscle mass.



















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[spoiler]O.A: A[/spoiler]

Another tempting choice is C, since most people who are interested in buying a treadmill for their homes don't think money is a major expense. This actually weaken the conclusion"Save your money." Even though it doesn't really mention this in the argument, but it also weakens the conclusion. Why C is not the answer? Also, what if there is no answer A, then C would be most likely to be true for this question,right?



Thanks,

I came down to A and D and chose D.

Why is D wrong?

I'm sorry, but this doesn't make any sense to me. How does A call into question Jim's argument that advanced treadmills don't offer any more health benefits than running outside? A is talking about something completely different from the argument, as it seems all the others are too.

HSPA wrote:I came down to A and D and chose D.

Why is D wrong?

I think D is wrong because D actually strengthens the argument by giving credits to Jim's commentary on the health benefits of treadmills.

Arguement is jogging outside brings with regular use, they can help people lose weight, eliminate stress and reduce the risk of heart disease. so a user should not use the treadmills.

A) some users say it is more enjoyable and convenient on treadmill than outsides. this weakens

The stimulus tells us that running on a track is just as good as running on a fancy treadmill.

A says "yeah, but if they have a fancy treadmill they'll run more." Neither a treadmill nor a track is any good if not used. If the treadmill is used more it will be more beneficial.

D just tells us that Jim was involved in the evaluation of the treadmills. It doesn't day anything about the effectiveness of treadmills versus tracks.

Tani Wolff - Kaplan wrote:The stimulus tells us that running on a track is just as good as running on a fancy treadmill.

A says "yeah, but if they have a fancy treadmill they'll run more." Neither a treadmill nor a track is any good if not used. If the treadmill is used more it will be more beneficial.

D just tells us that Jim was involved in the evaluation of the treadmills. It doesn't day anything about the effectiveness of treadmills versus tracks.

I understand answer A, but for choice C, since most people who are interested in buying a treadmill for their homes, and they don't think money is a major expense. This actually weakens the conclusion"Save your money." Even though it doesn't really mention about the money value in the argument, but it also weakens the conclusion. Why C is not the answer? Also, what if there is no answer A, then would C most likely can be true for this question?

Thanks,
Yvonne

yvonne0923 wrote:I understand answer A, but for choice C, since most people who are interested in buying a treadmill for their homes, and they don't think money is a major expense. This actually weakens the conclusion"Save your money." Even though it doesn't really mention about the money value in the argument, but it also weakens the conclusion. Why C is not the answer? Also, what if there is no answer A, then would C most likely can be true for this question?

Thanks,
Yvonne

first of all, "save your money" is not the conclusion. "save your money" is a command by the speaker, but the actual conclusion of the argument is "running on a track is the same as running on a hi-tech treadmill."

secondly, even if the conclusion was "you will save money," (c) would still not be a viable answer, because even rich people will save money if they do not buy the treadmill.

example:

you have two apples, and i take away one. how many apples have you lost?

now you have 1,000,000 apples and i take away one. how many apples have you lost?

in both situations, you lost an apple -- regardless of how many you had to begin with.

can someone pls explain why C is incorrecT?